2015 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 25-27 September 2015

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fter last weekend’s glittering night race in Singapore, Formula One makes a swift turnaround for Round 14 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

CIRCUIT DATA

SUZUKA INTERNATIONAL RACING COURSE Length of lap: 5.807km

A firm favourite with F1 personnel and fans alike, Suzuka is one of the sport’s undoubted classics, delivering excitement in abundance as well as an intense technical challenge that tests the mettle of teams and drivers alike.

Lap record: 1:31.540 (Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren, 2005)

Across its 5.807km Suzuka features every kind of corner. From the first sector’s intricate set of turns, including the ‘Esses’, where precision is everything, the long loop of the Spoon Curve, the fast, sweeping Dunlop curve and the flat out blast of 130R, the track presents drivers with a high-speed rollercoaster ride of epic proportions. Indeed, stitching together a quick lap at Suzuka is one of the great challenges of a grand prix season for a driver.

Total number of race laps: 53

The circuit is no less challenging for teams. While Suzuka has some of the highest speed of the season, with an average of around 225km/h (139mph), the circuit is not just about power. It also rewards aerodynamic efficiency, particularly through sections such as the ‘Esses’, where the rapid changes of direction put the accent on downforce and good balance. Factor in too the fact that the track is tough on tyres, with some of the highest lateral loads encountered across the season, and finding the perfect set-up to meet all the circuit’s demands is a tricky proposition. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton arrives in Japan still in charge of the Drivers’ Championship, though his margin of 53 points over team-mate Nico Rosberg has been cut to 41 after the Briton’s DNF last time out in Singapore. Victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit suggests, however, that Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is not yet out of the running in 2015.

Start line/finish line offset: 0.300km Total race distance: 307.471km Pitlane speed limits: 80km/h in practice, qualifying, and the race CIRCUIT NOTES ► Drainage around the track has been improved by the use of porous asphalt strips and ‘U’ drains on the edges of the track. The majority of the changes have been made in Turns One, Three, Six, Seven, 13 and 18. ► The structures holding advertising signs on the left and right between Turns 11 and 13 have been removed and any signs required will now be made of lightweight materials. DRS ZONE ► As with past years, there will be just one DRS zone at Suzuka, on the main straight. The detction point is 50m before Turn 16 and the activation point is 100m before the control line.

FAST FACTS ► This will be the 31st Japanese Grand Prix. The first such event was held at the Fuji circuit in 1976. ► Fuji has hosted just four of the 30 Japanese GPs held to date (in 1976 and ’77 and in 2007-’08). The spiritual home of the race is Suzuka, which, starting in 1987, has hosted the race 26 times. ► The most successful driver in the history of the Japanese Grand Prix is Michael Schumacher. The German won six times at Suzuka, in 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and in 2004. All bar the first, which was scored with Benetton, were won while with Ferrari. Schumacher’s compatriot Sebastian Vettel is next on the list. He has four wins here, in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. All were scored during his time with Red Bull Racing. ► Alongside Vettel, four other Japanese Grand Prix winners are set to line up on the grid this weekend – Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen, who won with McLaren in 2005, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who won with Renault in 2006 and 2008, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who won for McLaren in 2007 and for the Silver Arrows last year and McLaren’s Jenson

Button, who won for the Woking-based team in 2011. ► The most successful constructor at the race is McLaren. The British team has nine wins, starting with James Hunt in 1977. The only drivers to so far take multiple Japanese Grand Prix wins for the team are Ayrton Senna, in 1988 and ’93, and Mika Häkkinen, in 1998 and 1999. ► Ferrari is the next most successful team, with seven wins. Its only victories not to be delivered by Michael Schumacher were Gerhard Berger’s 1987 win and Rubens Barrichello’s 2003 victory. ► Michael Schumacher also has the record for most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions, with eight. Vettel is once again next on the list with four consecutive pole positions between 2009 and 2012. ► The only other drivers appearing this weekend to have been on pole for the Japanese Grand Prix are Felipe Massa (in 2006 for Ferrari), Hamilton (in 2007 and 2008 for McLaren) and Nico Rosberg who took his 12th career pole position here last year.

► The race at Suzuka has been won from pole 12 times in 26 events. Five of the last 10 grands prix at Suzuka have been won from pole position. The winner of the race at Suzuka has, however, come from the front row 22 times in 26 outings. ► Kimi Räikkonen holds the record for winning from farthest back on the grid. In 2005 the Finn won from a starting position of 17th. ► Lewis Hamilton’s DNF last time out in Singapore was the championship leader’s first since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix and his first technicallyinduced DNF since last year’s Canadian Grand Prix when he was forced to retire with brake problems. ► To cope with Suzuka’s speeds, changes of direction and long sweeping corners Formula One tyre supplier Pirelli will, as last year, bring the hardest compounds in its range, the medium and hard, to Suzuka this weekend. The combination was last utilised at the British Grand Prix and has been used twice before that this season: at the Malaysian and Spanish Grands Prix.

RACE STEWARDS BIOGRAPHIES

DR GERD ENNSER MEMBER OF THE DMSB’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR AUTOMOBILE SPORT, FORMULA ONE AND DTM STEWARD R Dr Gerd Ennser has successfully combined his formal education in law with his passion for motor racing. While still active as a racing driver he began helping out with the management of his local motor sport club and since 2006 has been a permanent steward at every round of Germany’s DTM championship. Since 2010 he has also been a Formula One steward. Dr Ennser, who has worked as a judge, a prosecutor and in the legal department of an automotiveindustry company, has also acted as a member of the steering committee of German motor sport body, the DMSB, since spring 2010, where he is responsible for automobile sport. In addition, Dr Ennser is a board member of the South Bavaria Section of ADAC, Germany’s biggest auto club.

ROGER PEART PRESIDENT, FIA CIRCUITS COMMISSION; PRESIDENT OF AUTORITE SPORTIVE NATIONALE DU CANADA (ASN) Roger Peart is a civil engineer by training and designed the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, home of the Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. In the years 1949-1953 he gained his first experience of motor sport, working as a racing mechanic while still at school in the UK. By 1960 he had become a competitor. Until 1963 he drove in the Canadian National Rally Championship, before switching to racing from 1964 to 1976. In 1967 Peart became involved in the organisation of Canadian motor sport and was instrumental in getting the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve onto the F1 calendar. Since 1991 Peart has been President of ASN Canada FIA and, since 1999, President of the FIA Circuits Commission..

EMANUELE PIRRO FORMER FORMULA ONE DRIVER AND FIVE-TIMES LE MANS WINNER During a motor sport career spanning almost 40 years, Emanuele Pirro has achieved a huge amount of success, most notably in sportscar racing, with five Le Mans wins, victory at the Daytona 24 Hours and two wins at the Sebring 12 Hours. In addition, the Italian driver has won the German and Italian Touring Car championships (the latter twice) and has twice been American Le Mans Series Champion. Pirro, enjoyed a three-season F1 career from 1989 to 1991, firstly with Benetton and then for Scuderia Italia. His debut as an FIA Steward came at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he has returned regularly since.

2015 FIA Formula One World Championship

POINTS

ABU DHABI

BRAZIL

MEXICO

USA

RUSSIA

JAPAN

SINGAPORE

ITALY

BELGIUM

HUNGARY

GB

AUSTRIA

CANADA

MONACO

SPAIN

BAHRAIN

CHINA

MALAYSIA

AUSTRALIA

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Lewis Hamilton

25 18 25 25 18 15 25 18 25 8 25 25 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 252

2. Nico Rosberg

18 15 18 15 25 25 18 25 18 4 18 0 12 -- -- -- -- -- -- 211

3. Sebastian Vettel

15 25 15 10 15 18 10 12 15 25 0 18 25 -- -- -- -- -- -- 203

4. Kimi Räikkönen

0 12 12 18 10 8 12 0 4 0 6 10 15 -- -- -- -- -- -- 107

5. Valtteri Bottas

-- 10 8 12 12 0 15 10 10 0 2 12 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- 101

6. Felipe Massa

12 8 10 1 8 0 8 15 12 0 8 15 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 97

7. Daniel Ricciardo

8 1 2 8 6 10 0 1 0 15 0 4 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- 73

8. Daniil Kvyat

-- 2 0 2 1 12 2 0 8 18 12 1 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- 66

9. Sergio Pérez

1 0 0 4 0 6 0 2 2 0 10 8 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- 39

10. Romain Grosjean

0 0 6 6 4 0 1 0 0 6 15 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 38

11. Max Verstappen

0 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 12 4 0 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- 30

12. Nico Hülkenberg

6 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 6 0 0 6 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 30

13. Felipe Nasr

10 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 17

14. Pastor Maldonado

0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 12

15. Fernando Alonso

-- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 11

16. Carlos Sainz

2 4 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- 11

17. Marcus Ericsson

4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 9

18. Jenson Button

0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 6

19. Roberto Merhi

-- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0

20. Will Stevens

-- -- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 0

21. Alexander Rossi

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 0

2015 FIA Formula One World Championship

POINTS

ABU DHABI

BRAZIL

MEXICO

USA

RUSSIA

JAPAN

SINGAPORE

ITALY

BELGIUM

HUNGARY

GB

AUSTRIA

CANADA

MONACO

SPAIN

BAHRAIN

CHINA

MALAYSIA

AUSTRALIA

CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Mercedes AMG Petronas

43 33 43 40 43 40 43 43 43 12 43 25 12 -- -- -- -- -- -- 463

2. Scuderia Ferrari

15 37 27 28 25 26 22 12 19 25 6 28 40 -- -- -- -- -- -- 310

3. Williams Martini Racing

12 18 18 13 20 0 23 25 22 0 10 27 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- 198

4. Infiniti Red Bull Racing

8 3 2 10 7 22 2 1 8 33 12 5 26 -- -- -- -- -- -- 139

5. Sahara Force India F1 Team

7 0 0 4 0 6 4 10 8 0 10 14 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- 69

6. Lotus F1 Team

0 0 6 6 4 0 7 6 0 6 15 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 50

7. Scuderia Toro Rosso

2 10 0 0 2 1 0 4 0 12 4 0 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- 41

8. Sauber F1 Team

14 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 26

9. McLaren Honda

0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 12 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 17

10. Manor Marussia F1 Team

-- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- 0

FORMULA ONE TIMETABLE & FIA MEDIA SCHEDULE THURSDAY Press conference 15.00

FRIDAY Practice session 1 10.00-11.30 Practice session 2 14.00-15.30 Press conference 16.00

SATURDAY Practice session 3 12.00-13.00 Qualifying 15.00-16.00 Followed by unilateral and press conference

SUNDAY Drivers’ Parade 12.30 Race 14.00 Followed by podium interviews and press conference

ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES QUALIFYING All drivers eliminated in Q1 or Q2 are available for media interviews immediately after the end of each session, as are drivers who participated in Q3, but who are not required for the postqualifying press conference. The interview pen will be located close to the media centre entrance in the paddock.

RACE Any driver retiring before the end of the race will be made available at the TV pen interview area. In addition, during the race every team will make available at least one senior spokesperson for interview by officially accredited TV crews. A list of those nominated will be made available in the media centre.

FIA COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT [email protected] T +33 1 43 12 58 15